UPS Battery Back Up For Emergencies

[Motörcrab]

After the scare I had after losing power for 8-9 hours last night. I want to try and be prepared just in case there is a next time, especially with colder temperatures coming up. I have read on here of people using battery back ups for computers to power their tanks in emergency situations. I never read any feedback on how long one will power an UTH. Given an average PC will run at an average of 250 Watts and a back up will power it for 2-7 minutes before dying. Does that mean a UTH that runs at 63 Watts would last roughly 8-25 minutes?

Does anyone have any first hand experience using these in an emergency? If so how long did it power the UTH?

[Hermiesguardian]

After the scare I had after losing power for 8-9 hours last night. I want to try and be prepared just in case there is a next time, especially with colder temperatures coming up. I have read on here of people using battery back ups for computers to power their tanks in emergency situations. I never read any feedback on how long one will power an UTH. Given an average PC will run at an average of 250 Watts and a back up will power it for 2-7 minutes before dying. Does that mean a UTH that runs at 63 Watts would last roughly 8-25 minutes?

Does anyone have any first hand experience using these in an emergency? If so how long did it power the UTH?

My husband (an electricity expert) says the "cheap" ones will let a computer stay on for 5 minutes to let it shut down safely. Your calculation is correct. I guess it would help to insulate your tank to keep the heat in. He suggests getting a blanket at a sporting goods store made for hikers in cold weather. A thin thermal blanket.

[wodesorel]

There's a lot of talk about this over on FishLore. Several people have mentioned using car batteries to power filters/heaters through hurricanes, and then recharging them with their cars. Probably not very wallet friendly and I have no idea how they did it!

[Motörcrab]

A battery back up for possibly 30 minutes would not be worth the $50-150 expense.

The car battery approach doesn't seem very logical either. A car battery for $75-$125 plus whatever else to make it work, plus recharging evey 4 hours or so seems like a lot of work and room for "unforseeable circumstances".

I think the best option now would probably be purchasing a small $250-$300 gas powered generator. Keep it in the back of my truck with a cap. Run an extension cord or two to the truck and through a window. Fire up the generator and you have power. Then you have power for the tank, and other things like a heater, lights, tv, or microwave. As long as you have fuel on hand you will have power. On average 2 gallons of fuel will last 5-10 plus hours depending on the load. I'm sure it's the most expensive option but to me the most logical for the additional options.

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[hprmom]

I think the best option now would probably be purchasing a small $250-$300 gas powered generator. Keep it in the back of my truck with a cap. Run an extension cord or two to the truck and through a window. Fire up the generator and you have power. Then you have power for the tank, and other things like a heater, lights, tv, or microwave. As long as you have fuel on hand you will have power. On average 2 gallons of fuel will last 5-10 plus hours depending on the load. I'm sure it's the most expensive option but to me the most logical for the additional options.

After several hurricanes we've learned to have a generator at the ready! Our first one was only big enough to power the fridge to prevent food spoilage. But last year we borrowed a nice big one that powered a window a/c unit, lamps, and we could hook up the water heater for short periods so we could take warm showers, I'm never looking back! Being in FL, at the times of year we lose power the heat and humidity go up, not down, so I don't have to worry about the crabs! But having a generator in general really makes a big difference in our general and emotional well-being while we wait 8-10 days for the power to come back, so I vote for the generator!

[wodesorel]

The house we're eventually moving to had a generator installed a few years ago. I think we may need to upgrade the propane backup, but it will be a serious relief come winter with all these critters! We've done the no power thing this time of year ten years ago when a hurricane remnant came through, and knocked out power for 6.5 days. It was boring, but all we had at the time were the cats and a fish tank which had no troubles. The old hot water heater was non-electric so we still had hot showers. We had to replace the furnace once in 15-degree temps and it took three days, but at least we had space heaters and lamps for the crabbies and it was cold but also no emergency. I don't want to think what would happen if we lost power for any length of time now. I'd been keeping enough plastic containers on hand to toss everything into in case we ever needed to move them to my hubby's office in case of cold. It's gotten a little large for that to really work anymore!

[Motörcrab]

Yep, I am going to plan on a purchasing a generator to be on the safe side by late October. I was talking to my buddy who uses one for powering his trailer for camping. He told me that he usually gets about 300 hours about 3 years of camping before he has issues and replaces it. He always goes to Harbor Freight and buys cheap ones

I do not recall any long 24+ hour outages in my area. At most 6-8 hours may be the max. Still if it is mid winter and it is 5-10 degrees outside it doesn't take long for the inside temperature to drop inside. A 300 hour lifespan should last me a long time. Add a gas fuel can, two or three 100' extension chords the crabbies and I should be good to go! Once I get everything I will post some pictures of the prepwork involved.